RE: WHERE ARE THE OTHER LOOPERS?

LOL! No kidding. I live in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, and it's
extremely musician-friendly. You can't shake a stick without hitting a
guitar player, fiddler, hand drummer, or some other musician.
But it's an extremely ACOUSTIC oriented area. We have three weekly open mic
venues in this small town, and they are literally "open mics." Nobody plugs
in a guitar pickup, ever. Local musicians play into mics, with no effects.
Everyone plays old, beat-up acoustic guitars. Everyone drives old, beat up
Volkswagens and Volvos. The older, the better. This place is the exact
opposite of a "technological mecca."
I haven't tested the local waters... we just moved here recently and we're
still settling into the local scene. But I think a looping performance can
still work in a place like this, if it's musically interesting, and based on
acoustic sources. The key there is "acoustic sources." I'd rather loop
electric guitar, because I have a lot more tonal possibilities with my
Roland VG-88. But I think maybe using an acoustic guitar, and slapping on
the guitar for percussion, can help "sell" the looping concept to a
technologically conservative audience.
--
Mike Barrs

Mike, your letter makes me wonder - Has anyone on this list heard one
of Joseph Arthur's live performances? Now there's a guy selling
looping on just an acoustic guitar, playing songs. His solo shows
are in fact extremely moving in a way that the "band" records can't quite
match.